The present invention relates to a modular wiring arrangement for supplying communication channels to workstations or cubicles. More particularly, the invention relates to modular wiring assemblies which can be interconnected to supply both voice and data channels to individual workstations from a communication distribution center.
Providing communication facilities to individual workstations in offices requires a significant amount of electrical wiring. In typical workstation wiring arrangements, each workstation is individually field wired to telephone or computer lines, with separate lines extending directly from an input/output line of a communication distribution center to a communication connector at each of the workstations. If standard four terminal telephones are installed at each workstation, this traditional type of wiring arrangement requires four electrical wires running from each work station to the communication distribution center. A like number of wires may also be required for data communication. Maintaining, replacing, or adding new workstations having appropriate communication connectors requires a substantial investment in time and materials using the traditional wiring arrangement.
One method of simplifying office wiring by consolidating wiring connection sites is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,701. A ribbon connector having two rows of 25 contact terminals is connected to twenty-five pairs of incoming telephone wire. Individual telephone lines are connected to outlet plugs which mate with the ribbon connector. Phone channels can be switched, removed or added by repositioning the outlet plugs contacting the ribbon connector. However, this type of wiring arrangement still requires that individual telephone wires be run from each workstation to the ribbon connector.
The present invention provides a wiring arrangement for distributing communication channels to a plurality of workstations. The workstations are electrically connected to a communication distribution center by a plurality of modular assemblies, each modular assembly comprising paired first and second connectors. Each of the first and second connectors have m connection terminals. The m connection terminals of the first and second connectors are electrically connected to each other via electrically conductive wires. Between each first and second connector, the connection order between respective m connection terminals is permutated by connecting the m.sup.th terminal of the first connector to the m.sup.th +i terminal of the second connector, where i is a positive or negative integer. In addition, each first and second connector is provided with one or more adjoining n-terminal communication connectors for connecting phones or computers at individual workstations to incoming/outgoing data or voice communication channels. Each of the n terminals of each communication connector is connected to an m.sup.th terminal of the first or second connectors, allowing each of the plurality of workstations to be addressed from the central communication distribution center.
In operation, the plurality of modular assemblies are serially arranged to link together the workstations and the central communication distribution center. The first connector and m.sup.th terminal of a first modular assembly matingly engages the second connector and corresponding m.sup.th terminal of an adjacent modular assembly. Similarly, the second connector and m.sup.th terminal of the first modular assembly matingly engages the first connector and corresponding m.sup.th terminal of another adjacent modular assembly. As a result, a serial "chain" is formed, providing a first connector and second connector, with associated communication connectors for input/output of voice and data communications at each workstation. At one end, the "chain" is connected to a data communications bus, while the other end is connected to a voice communications bus. The permutated connection scheme allows for a more efficient utilization of conductors, such that the plurality of workstations located along the chain are electrically connected to both buses with fewer wires than would otherwise be employed.
In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a predefined number of workstations N with wiring connections for data and phone input/output. In these embodiments, data connectors are associated with the first connectors while phone connectors are associated with the second connectors. At least N number of first connectors are provided, one for each workstation, with each first connector having m terminals. At least N number of data connectors are also provided, with each data connector having a plurality of electrical connectors that provide a single data channel. At least N number of second connectors are provided, with each second connector having m terminals. At least N number of phone connectors are provided, with each phone connector having a plurality of electrical connectors to provide a phone channel for input/output of voice communications. The m.sup.th terminals of each first connector are connected to the m terminals of a respective second connector by a plurality (m) of wires to form a modular cable assembly. In this preferred embodiment, the order of the connections are permutated to link the m.sup.th terminal of the first connector to the m.sup.th +4 terminal of the second connector. The n terminals of the data and phone connectors are connected to respective m.sup.th terminals of the first and second connectors so as to provide access to a data and voice communication channel at each workstation.
In other preferred embodiments, a wiring arrangement for distributing communication channels to a plurality of workstations includes multiple communication connectors having respectively n terminals at each of the plurality of workstations and a plurality of paired first and second connectors having respectively m terminals, with the m.sup.th terminal of the first connector linked to the m.sup.th terminal of the second connector. Each of the first connectors is electrically connected to an adjacent second connector by an interconnection module. Each interconnection module connects the m.sup.th connection terminal of a first connector to the m.sup.th +i terminal of an adjacent second connector, and further connects each of the n terminals of the multiple communication connectors to terminals of one of the first or second connectors to allow each of the plurality of workstations to be addressed through the multiple communication connectors. The interconnection modules may take the form of printed circuit boards adapted for electrical connection to the first and second connectors.
Communication distribution wiring arrangements of the present invention advantageously link workstations having two or more data or phone channels to communication distribution centers with less wiring than required for "non-permutated" wiring arrangements. Fewer wires are required because on the "data end" of the wiring arrangement most of the wiring is used for data communication, while on the "phone end" most of the wiring is used for voice communication. For example, directly wiring each of 11 workstations with telephone and computer data channels would normally require a total of 88 separate wires (11 workstations multiplied by 2 communication channels multiplied by 4 wires for each communication channel). The wiring arrangement of the present invention requires only 48 wires to supply 11 workstations with the same communication capabilities.
Advantageously, each modular assembly of paired first and second connectors, their interconnecting wires, and their associated data or voice communication connectors are identical to allow for interchangeability of the assemblies. This provides for efficient interconnection of workstations, reduces production and installation costs, and allows installers of the system to easily reconfigure, add, or subtract voice and data channels to any number of workstations.
Other advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.